Northern | US
78 - 14
FT
U20
32 - 38
FT
U20
31 - 38
FT
34 - 27
FT
U20
38 - 21
FT
U20
31 - 33
FT
25 - 24
FT
U20
45 - 15
FT
U20
104 - 7
FT
U20
90 - 22
FT
U20
28 - 20
FT
52 - 14
FT
Tomorrow
02:00
U20
Tomorrow
02:00
U20
Tomorrow
04:30
U20
Tomorrow
04:30
U20
Tomorrow
07:00
U20
Tomorrow
07:00
U20
Tomorrow
09:30
U20
Tomorrow
09:30
U20
Saturday
00:10
Saturday
01:40
Saturday
03:10
Saturday
06:10
Saturday
08:40
Saturday
10:00
Saturday
12:00
Saturday
12:10
Saturday
15:00
Saturday
15:15
Saturday
18:00
Saturday
18:00
InternationalIsrael Folau

Israel Folau shares first social media posts since controversy


Israel Folau (Photo by Anthony Au-Yeung/Getty Images)
Comments
Comment

Recently sacked former Wallabies and Waratahs full-back Israel Folau has taken to social media for the first time since his controversial messages last month.

ADVERTISEMENT

Folau faced a huge backlash in April for posting a message on Instagram telling certain groups in society to repent, “Hell awaits you” and “Only Jesus saves”.

He was immediately fired by Rugby Australia, but the decision was taken to a hearing held by a three-person panel. The decision was upheld on Friday to terminate Folau’s contract.

The 30-year-old had remained fairly quiet throughout the controversy and has stuck by what he has said. In terms of his social media activity, he only changed his profile picture on his Instagram and Twitter accounts to an image saying “God first”.

However, he uploaded two new posts on Friday, sharing Bible verses on both social media platforms. This is what he shared:

https://twitter.com/IzzyFolau/status/1129298886365814786?s=20

 

View this post on Instagram

 

??

A post shared by Israel Folau (@izzyfolau) on

ADVERTISEMENT

This has been a story that has rocked the rugby world – and the sporting world in general – as it has opened a new debate regarding the topics of freedom of religion, hate speech, homophobia etc. It’s one that will rage on after his sacking.

In reaction to his contract termination, Folau thanked “those who have spoken out in my defence, some of whom do not share my beliefs but have defended my right to express them”.

The 72-cap Wallaby is undeniably one of the best players on the planet and would have been one of the stars of the upcoming World Cup in Japan.

This entire debacle has rocked Australian rugby on and off the pitch, and Waratahs head coach Daryl Gibson has already expressed what a distraction this has been for his team.

ADVERTISEMENT

The future is now unclear for Folau, as it is unknown who would hire a player that is embroiled in such controversy. The door has been closed to a return to the NRL for now and while an invitation has been given for him to join the new format Global Rapid Rugby, he is yet to take anything.

WATCH: Independent panel reveal their decision in Folau case

Video Spacer

Stream Nations Championship 2026 LIVE

Hemispheres collide in the new Nations Championship. Stream live, replays and highlights free on RugbyPass TV.

Watch on RPTV
Starts 4th July 2026 - USA only.
ADVERTISEMENT
Play Video
LIVE

{{item.title}}

Trending on RugbyPass

1

Exeter Chiefs left counting the cost of their Gallagher Prem Final defeat

2

'It's a bad injury': Elrigh Louw called up as Springbok injury crisis worsens

1
3

EPCR announce significant rule changes to Champions Cup and Challenge Cup

13
4

Bought not built: Rassie's importing has sacrificed the identity of Bok rugby

76
5

'Lacked a bit of detail': Quade Cooper on All Blacks' troubles and new coach Rennie

4
6

Rassie Erasmus doubles down on Henry Pollock verdict

4
7

Springboks' place at top of world rankings comes under threat

6
8

Antoine Dupont pulls out of France's Nations Championship

26

Comments

0 Comments
Be the first to comment...

Join free and tell us what you really think!

Sign up for free
ADVERTISEMENT

Latest Long Reads

LONG READ

Meet the college wrestling star propelling the USA towards Rugby World Cup 2027

Cory Daniel only took up rugby at 24, but has cemented his position as a dynamic and vital back-row forward for the USA Men's Eagles.

LONG READ

Will Marshall mellow for Galthie's strengthened France?

Les Bleus came in for criticism when arrived in New Zealand with a fallow side a year ago but this French team is a different proposition

2
LONG READ

Nations Championship: 'The data shows the north has finally caught up with the south'

A Six Nations statistical deep dive suggests the European nations are no longer trailing their Rugby Championship counterparts.

35

Comments on RugbyPass

C
Conrad 2 minutes ago
There's only one selection that truly matters for the All Blacks this July

Fair but I would risk it for a biscuit.

Him and Richie! Ahhh



...

116 Go to comments
H
Hammer Head 2 minutes ago
Losing to Henry Pollock would be unbearable

They will be, but they must focus on getting the job done. Not Henry pollock. Or anything else for that matter.

15 Go to comments
H
Hammer Head 3 minutes ago
Losing to Henry Pollock would be unbearable

Hope you’re right!

15 Go to comments
H
Hammer Head 17 minutes ago
Losing to Henry Pollock would be unbearable

Apart from maybe losing RG Snyman in his normal role off the bench, the lock department can’t really be described as threadbare for this test. So I don’t think that’s a real vulnerability.

Manie Libbok has been at 80% in Japan League One this year. And already showed, before he left SA, that his technique had improved with the shorter run up.



...

15 Go to comments
L
Lou Cifer 24 minutes ago
Nations Championship: 'The data shows the north has finally caught up with the south'

Exactly! should’ve probably been 2+ penalty tries awarded

35 Go to comments
N
NoLongerARuck 27 minutes ago
Nations Championship: 'The data shows the north has finally caught up with the south'

Yeah plus when you kick a pen the ball comes back off the kick off and you then have to exit so it makes sense to go for the corner and look for a try because you keep the possession and territory and keep the pressure up.

35 Go to comments
N
NoLongerARuck 30 minutes ago
Nations Championship: 'The data shows the north has finally caught up with the south'

For sure. The games down South are always Skewed towards the Southern teams because the Northern sides are coming off a long season where they have already played 10 internationals and have been going for 10 months. Even so though the South do win when they similarly go up North in just as trying conditions so the Northern sides must really get better and improve their end of season mentality

35 Go to comments
C
Conrad 30 minutes ago
Where's the power? And what to do with Sua'ali'i? The key questions facing the Wallabies

Yeah. They need it.

I'm Irish but I got a great bounce watching the wallabies in the lions tests. Definite potential.



...

33 Go to comments
N
NoLongerARuck 32 minutes ago
Nations Championship: 'The data shows the north has finally caught up with the south'

I think hes done plenty of articles before about speed of game, ball in play time, pens etc in the Southern context and the North are now seemingly ahead in terms of key metrics that determine the quality of game especially those that World Rugby are after in terms of creating more value for fans

35 Go to comments
C
Conrad 33 minutes ago
Where's the power? And what to do with Sua'ali'i? The key questions facing the Wallabies

Plenty would say that. When he first came to Leinster the guy ended careers. Overnight.

33 Go to comments
N
NoLongerARuck 34 minutes ago
Nations Championship: 'The data shows the north has finally caught up with the south'

England were really awful on defence that game, were shellshocked half way through it

35 Go to comments
C
Conrad 35 minutes ago
Where's the power? And what to do with Sua'ali'i? The key questions facing the Wallabies

Toner was treated terribly. Nobody would call him world class but he had to have been one of the most improved players at test level for a period. He was the only reason the 2016 SA tour was even close. Awful treatment in the end.

Henshaw has spoken about being the 24th man early on and accompanying the sqaud on tours. Schmidt would still expect non-playing sqaud memebrs to be able to talk him through all the set plays when he asked them. If you couldn't, it was never overlooked.



...

33 Go to comments
G
GrahamVF 35 minutes ago
Nations Championship: 'The data shows the north has finally caught up with the south'

In all fairness the ref backed off giving penalties and after the pack had marched the Irish pack backwards on the double for ten meters then folded he tol the Bok scrummie “Play it.”

The psychological advantage of being so comprehensively dismantled in the scrums is huge. You can fix missed tackles and sloppy attack - even fix high ball skills - but it’s far more difficult to fix an entire scrum when they are that comprehensively beaten. And that’s what Rassie’s aim was - not necessarily scoreboard dominance but to send the message if you want to play on the same field as us you had better fix your scrum. Like I said - not so easily done.



...

35 Go to comments
N
NoLongerARuck 38 minutes ago
Nations Championship: 'The data shows the north has finally caught up with the south'

How do you judge the North South battle and if the North is catching the South? I think theres a couple of categories to consider. In the early 2000’s the South was ahead on almost every category that determines the quality of rugby playing region. I would say the categories are:

Coaching



...

35 Go to comments
G
GrahamVF 42 minutes ago
Nations Championship: 'The data shows the north has finally caught up with the south'

“Having opened it up coincided with a massive uplift in the success of the Springboks.” That and the development of black and Coloured players. A huge previously untapped resource to the Springboks.

35 Go to comments
G
GrahamVF 44 minutes ago
Nations Championship: 'The data shows the north has finally caught up with the south'

“The North arguably offers more in terms of entertainment than the South at club level as well. The Prem, the Champs Cup, URC and Top 14 all feature plenty of scoring and different playing styles while Super Rugby seems to be the same thing game in game out. While the South tries to speed up the game artificially with new trials and law variations the North has shown you can do it with good refereeing which penalises cynical play harshly and encourages positive actions on the field.”

Great para and sums it up perfectly. In SA we were sooooo tired of the endless 26 phase going nowhere or backwards cycles of Super Rugby the URC came as a breath of fresh air. We were back to the various elements that make rugby stand out from league. Scrum, ruck, lineout, maul - variety fGs



...

35 Go to comments
N
NoLongerARuck 52 minutes ago
Nations Championship: 'The data shows the north has finally caught up with the south'

The Six Nations produced so many compelling games and so much of action packed moments that you can only conclude that its the best international comp out there at the moment except for a world cup. If Wales improve it will be even better especially given the strides Italy have made in recent times. The Rugby Championship is now taking a hiatus in a year it really should be building toward something better which is terrible considering the competition was so tight last year. The Nations Champs promises much but one gets the feeling that the 6 Nations teams will not be at their peak given its at the end of their long season. In terms of rugby quality and entertainment Id rather watch the 6 Nations over everything else other than a world cup right now. The North arguably offers more in terms of entertainment than the South at club level as well. The Prem, the Champs Cup, URC and Top 14 all feature plenty of scoring and different playing styles while Super Rugby seems to be the same thing game in game out. While the South tries to speed up the game artificially with new trials and law variations the North has shown you can do it with good refereeing which penalises cynical play harshly and encourages positive actions on the field. In terms of entertainment the North wins. In terms of winning? They are making strides but until they win another world cup or get a team to rank number 1 again for an extended time again they cant really say they are better than the South.

35 Go to comments
C
Conrad 52 minutes ago
Nations Championship: 'The data shows the north has finally caught up with the south'

Agree. In the end, they had to resort to starting off the ball stuff at 77 mins to rattle Ireland and run the clock as it was only a two score game - which is insane given their dominance.

I suspect Rassie may have gone hard on them afterwards.



...

35 Go to comments
C
Conrad 55 minutes ago
Nations Championship: 'The data shows the north has finally caught up with the south'

Agree. Tournament play or a knockout game I’m sure they would be nailing their kicks instead.

Even conservatively, they left 12-15 PTS behind which is strange as they should have been worth double that by getting their opponents down to 12 players.



...

35 Go to comments
C
Conrad 57 minutes ago
Nations Championship: 'The data shows the north has finally caught up with the south'

It’s noticeable that most NH test teams now refuse to kick for goal until maybe the 3rd or 4th time of asking across the same phases of play. It’s such a trend that they have to be coached that way now.

I think the amended rules around playing the 9 - or not being able to - have helped things as the teams seem to prefer kicking 50/50 constestables or going multi-phase in the opponents 22. The 6N teams generally have tempo 9’s that are hitting 70+ rucks a match, so it suits them.



...

35 Go to comments
Close Panel
Close Panel

Edition & Time Zone

{{current.name}}
Set time zone automatically
{{selectedTimezoneTitle}} (auto)
Choose a different time zone
Close Panel

Editions

Close Panel

Change Time Zone

Search Timezones
Close
ADVERTISEMENT
Copied to clipboard

Share Article close